Morell is well known in the photographic community for creating camera obscura images in various places around the world and photographing these. Morell was awarded the Cintas Foundation fellowship in 1992 and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in 1993. Other awards he has received include the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award in 2011.[1]

A documentary on elements of Morell's life and work, Shadow of the House, was released in 2007.[2]

The first retrospective of Morell's work in fifteen years was held at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013, in an exhibition entitled "Abelardo Morell: The Universe Next Door." It was subsequently held at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.